Back
by zabani-chan
Summary: revised:Naruto is betrayed by the place he once called home, and leaves swearing revenge. He comes back 5 yrs later, and is placed with his old upon arrival. How does he react when he finds out just how bad his decision affected his freinds?ON HOLD
1. prologue

Back

Zabani-chan

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto****. I wish I did, but I don't. **

Prologue

"Naruto! Please! Come back!" Iruka yelled. The boy ignored him and soon disappeared into the trees. Mizuki continued to laugh.

"I told you!" he laughed. Iruka growled and pulled the giant shuriken out of his back sharply. He stood up and quickly turned, throwing the shuriken roughly. It sailed through the air, catching Mizuki off guard. It cut through half his body, instantly killing him. He fell toe the ground, blood going everywhere. Iruka stood there, panting from exhaustion. His back was killing him. He looked over his shoulder at the path Naruto had took.

He sighed deeply, and headed slowly back towards the village, trying to think of a way to tell the Hokage that both Naruto and the scroll were gone.

The students clamored around, trying to get a good seat. Yelling and shouting. All noise immediately stopped when the door was slammed open. Iruka stood there, head bowed, shoulders tense. He stalked into the room and went towards the desk, but froze at a random student's question.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei! Where's Naruto?!"

He didn't answer right away, but instead slammed the think folder on his desk. The students jumped.

"He's gone."

That simple sentence sent the class into an uproar. Sakura spoke up.

"What do you mean, 'he's gone'?!" she asked. Iruka looked at her with saddened eyes.

"Just what it mean, Sakura." He said softly.

'I'll get you, Konoha. I'm tired of being treated like dirt and kicked around! I swear it! I will get my revenge!'

He turned around and walked away, leaving the place he once called home, glaring in front of him.

8

End

Like it? Hate it? Tell me what you think. Flames accepted.

This story takes place after Mizuki told Naruto about the fox, and I'm going to pretend that all the genin teams were already together by then. They were assigned really early this year, so all the teams have been together for about a few months now. But the timeline afterwards is different. The teams are the same, but Team 7 is just Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke. Naruto comes back, but way later. Sasuke never leaves, either, and him and Sakura have developed a mutual understanding and have grown extremely close. Naruto's sudden reappearance causes a slight tremor in the Konoha villagers, shinobi and commoners alike.

_**Preview:**_

_The Konoha 12 all sat at a small outdoor restaurant, listening to the villagers talk. But something caught their attention. A cloaked figure walked by, and all talking ceased until they passed. The person seemed extremely skilled, but felt like he had no chakra. _

_"He's back!" "I thought he was dead!" "Is he any stronger? He was a screw up."_

_'It can't be…__**him**__…can it?!' they all thought. They all looked at the person again, and watched as he headed for the Hokage tower._


	2. ch1  Welcome Home, 5 Years Later

Back

Zabani-chan

**Disclaimer: Another note, if you don't mind. About the chunin exam. They are all chunin, except Sasuke and Sakura. You know, because you need a team of three to enter. And since they didn't attend the exam, Sasuke has no curse mark and Sakura still has her long hair. The other's still fought in the exam, but they didn't meet Gaara. The Sound/Sand invasion will be later.**

**So, now that that is cleared up, let's get on with the story. **

Chapter 1: Welcome Home – 5 years later

A blonde boy watched his opponent calmly. He knew that he was stronger, and the enemy would most likely not leave alive.

'All these Sound nins are idiots. I send one back half dead, and they send various teams to try and kill me. And when that didn't work, they send solo ninja's. The 'strongest' in their village.' He scoffed. The Sound nin ran at him, putting his arm back as he prepared to use a ninjutsu. The boy shifted his weight, and brought his chakra up a notch. The nin thrust his arm forward, and a wave of air and sound burst towards the boy like a sonic explosion. He merely raised his hand, the sonic explosion simply bounced off his palm. The Sound nin stood in shock, the wind whipping around them violently. The boy put his hands behind his head, and looked the nin in the eyes.

"Tell, me. Do you know why they sent you to fight me?"

The man shook his head. The boy smirked, and his eyes glowed red for a few seconds.

"Because I have a demon inside me they want dead. I house the Kyuubi!" he said, smirking widely, fangs showing. The man was practically shaking in his boots.

"W-who are you?"1 he asked, shakily.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki." He paused and looked at the man for a minute, "Tell you what. I'll let you live. But in exchange, you give a message to the leader of the Sound village, okay?"

"Y-yes! Anything you say!" he said quickly.

"Heh. You tell him that if they send any more men after me, I won't hesitate to tear them apart and then destroy your village." He let his chakra flare and eyes turn to red to make sure the nin was scared enough to tell. The said man quickly nodded and bowed before disappearing. Naruto smirked and pulled the hood of traveling cloak back on, letting it cover his face save for the end of his nose and mouth. He jumped to the top of a tree and looked at the huge gait ahead.

"Just you wait, Konoha. 5 years may have passed, but don't think my hate for you has diminished in the slightest." He said softly.

(A/N: they were 12 in the prologue. And since 5 years have passed, everyone from the Konoha 12 is 17)

"You're dismissed." Kakashi said, looking at his students in boredom before taking out his book and 'poofing' away. Sasuke and Sakura sighed before heading off.

"So, what are doing for the rest of the day?" Sasuke asked, Sakura looked up at sky in thought for a second.

"Hmmm….hanging out with the rest of the Konoha 12 at some new restaurant." She said, "You coming?'

He shrugged.

"Might as well. I've got nothing else to do."

"Well, come one. They should either be there by now or are on their way!" she said happily, grabbing his hand and pulling him in the direction of the restaurant.

"Hey! Sakura! You don't have to pull me!" he said. She turned her head and smiled.

"Yes, I do! You would've walked really slow if I didn't and we need to hurry!" she said cheerfully. He grumbled and let her pull him. She giggled. He smiled slightly and his eyes widened as he saw someone appear in front of her. Before he could warn her, she turned around and was sent toppling over backwards from bouncing off the person's back. Sasuke kneeled beside her.

"You okay?" he asked. She nodded and they both looked at the guy she ran into. He turned around, and they stiffened. The guy was an ANBU. He pushed his mask up and looked at them coldly.

"Do you have something to say?" he asked. Sakura stared at him for a minute, before blinking and gasping, standing up quickly and bowing.

"I'm so sorry! It was all my fault! We were late for an appointment!" she said quickly. Sasuke stood up as well and nodded slightly in agreement. The ANBU merely put his mask back on and stood there for a moment. The next thing either of them knew, Sakura was on the ground, eyes wide and cheek red. Sasuke growled angrily and glared at the man spitefully.

"Learn to be on time, then you wouldn't be in these kinds of situations. Bump into me again, and I won't be so gentle." He disappeared, leaving the two alone. Sasuke helped Sakura up and inspected her cheek.

"How bad does it hurt?" he asked, concern evident in his voice. She blinked.

"Bad." She whispered, moving her hand up to cover it. He caught it and looked at her.

"Don't touch it. It'll just make it worse. Let's go to the restaurant, and I'll make an icepack. If they let us, we'll try and leave early to properly take of it."

"Right." She smiled slightly, and they headed off again, hand in hand.

"Hey! You two are late!" Ino yelled.

"So what?" Sakura said, glaring slightly.

"What happened?" Neji asked, gesturing to Sakura's left cheek. They both blinked, and Sasuke looked irate.

"We ran into an ANBU, and after Sakura apologized, he hit her to the ground and left." He growled.

"What the hell?! Why would he do that?!" Kiba yelled as Hinata told a waiter they needed a small icepack. Tenten tried to calm down Lee, who was screaming and cursing the ANBU who hit Sakura. Shino just sat there, calmly observing the situation. Shikamaru sighed and said the usual 'troublesome', which caused Ino to turn on him, and Chouji sat eating his many bags of chips.

"I don't know! We were running to get here on time, he appeared out of nowhere in front of us. Sakura couldn't stop in time, she ran into him, immediately apologized, he hit her to the ground, he disappeared, and now here we are!" Sasuke yelled.

"Look...it's not that big a deal. Sure it hurts, but he was probably just in a bad mood." Sakura said, waving her hands in front of her and smiling. Lee and Sasuke rounded on her as Lee broke out his Tenten's chokehold and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"IT IS A BIG DEAL! NO ONE SHOULD HIT THE BEAUTIFUL CHERRY BLOSSOM OF KONOHA!" Lee screamed. Sakura plugged her ears.

"And don't plug your ears! You know it's true! It doesn't matter if he was in bad mood already or not, he had no right to hit you!" Sasuke reprimanded, pulling her hands away from her ears.

"Lee! Let her go!" Tenten yelled, trying to pry him off of her. He wouldn't budge.

"Neji! Help me!" she screamed. Neji sighed.

'I wonder if we're bothering anyone else…' he glanced around, and saw that everyone inside the restaurant (they're eating outside) and everyone on the road were staring at them with wide eyes. He sighed again.

"Fine." He got up slowly, activated his Byakugan, and pressed a few chakra points on Lee's body, who went limp almost immediately. He blinked.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!" he asked, now sitting in his chair.

"I blocked the chakra supplying you extra strength. You are now as weak as a newborn baby." Neji said in a bored tone. Tenten sat next to him.

"I….." Hinata started, but cut herself off, looking at the table sadly. Shino noticed and hushed the rest of the group. He stared at Hinata.

"What is it?" he asked. She lowered her head even more and spoke softly.

"I w-wonder what N-Naruto would do…."

They all froze at his name, and simmered down. All fight had left them and they just sat there sadly and started reminiscing. Everyone who was watching stared for a few minutes before deciding they didn't want to know and went back to their own business.

"Hey...remember when Naruto tried showing off on the playground in the first year of the Academy?" Kiba asked, chuckling.

"Yeah…he tried to run up a tree and ended up slipping in mud and landing in it face first." Chouji said.

"Heh. I remember when he painted the Hokage faces." Shikamaru said, smirking lightly. Neji, Tenten, and Lee's eyes widened.

"He did what?"

"Oh yeah…you didn't know us when we were still in the Academy." Ino said.

"Yeah. He's the Number One Unpredictable Knuckle-headed Ninja and Number One Prankster in **all **of Fire Country." Sasuke said.

"Seriously?" Lee asked.

"Yeah. Always getting in trouble for pulling pranks. And guess what else." Sakura said, looking at the three.

"What?" Tenten asked.

"He could beat the third Hokage." Sasuke said. They looked shocked.

"How?" Neji asked.

"He used something called the Sexy Jutsu." Sakura said, "The third was a pervert. He hid it soooo well, but Naruto was still found out…and then he taught to Konohamaru." She crossed her arms and glared.

"I swear…that Konohamaru is like Naruto's clone or something. Different looks, same personality." Ino grumbled. They all stayed quiet, and started poking at their food.

Naruto stood in a tree outside the village. He masked his chakra so completely it felt non-existent. He pulled his hood down and covered his eyes and nose, leaving the tip of his nose and mouth showing. Shadows covered the rest. He jumped down and walked through the gates, waving at the guards.

'Man, that was too easy!' he thought.

'**I know. You would think they would suspect anyone dressed like you.**'

'Oh, shut up, furball! What's wrong with the way I dress?!'

'**Nothing, but it's not everyday you someone wearing a cloak and hiding his face with a huge scroll on his back.**'

'True.'

'**Hey, isn't that the group of people you used to hang out with?**'

Naruto looked over at a table in an outdoor restaurant. Eleven people sat there, looking depressed, poking at their food, but when they noticed that it had gotten oddly quiet, they looked up and their eyes immediately locked on him.

'Wonder what's wrong with them…'

'**Don't know…**'

He continued walking towards the Hokage Tower, ignoring the stared and whispers.

'They either recognize me or are curious…'

'**Probably both.**'

'Maybe.'

Upon reaching the Tower, he headed straight for the Hokage's office. He knocked, and waited for a reply to enter. It came, but it was slow and sluggish.

'Are they drunk or sleepy?'

'**I don't know, kit.**'

He opened the door and walked in, closing it behind him. He stared at the new Hokage in shock.

'My god! How much does she drink?!' he mentally screamed, looking around the room.

"Who are you and what reason do you have here?" she asked. He stared, then blinked.

"Who are you? Where's the old man?" he asked, curious.

'Did he keel over or something?'

"Sandaime is deceased. Died a couple of years ago of old age. He requested that I, as his student, take over for him. My name Tsunade." She said.

"Oh. My name's Naruto Uzumaki. I'm here to become a Konoha ninja again." He said clearly. She blinked.

"Again?" she asked.

"Something happened and I ran away for 5 years. I'm over it and decided to come back." He said, bowing in respect so she couldn't see his eyes glint with hate.

"What happened?"

"I'd rather not say. I'm still a bit touchy about it."

"Ah. Well, Uzumaki..." she froze, and her eyes widened.

"Is something wrong?" he asked slowly. She was staring at him intently and it was starting to freak him out.

"Are you the carrier of the Kyuubi that disappeared over 5 years ago?" she asked. Naruto froze and narrowed his eyes.

"So what if I am?" he asked. She stared at him for a long while before answering.

"You know…your disappearance caused quite a problem, and changed a lot of people. Especially the Konoha 12."

"I've noticed. I walked right by them on my way here. And technically, it's the Konoha 11."

"That title has somehow been made official for all of you. I can't change it, only **they** can."

'Man, this sucks.' He mentally sighed.

"So what now?"

"I'm assigning you to a new team. Well, not **new** new."

"You're putting me back with Team 7." He said pointedly.

"Yes. They only have 2 people, and have not been able to take the chunin exam at all. So they are still genin, while everyone else is chunin. They were going to take the jonin exam, but they told their sensei's they refused until Sasuke and Sakura caught up. With you back, they can finally take the exam next year.'

'Next year, huh? The village might not be standing then.'

'**Maybe**.'

'It's highly doubtful. I might not be able to stand it that long.'

"Shizune!" her yell brought him out of his short conversion. A black haired woman walked into the room.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?" she said, bored.

"Bring me Team 7."

"Yes, ma'am." She bowed and disappeared.

The Konoha 12 all sat at a small outdoor restaurant, listening to the villagers talk. But something caught their attention. A cloaked figure walked by, and talking ceased until they passed. The person seemed extremely skilled, but it felt like had no chakra at all.

"He's back!" "I thought he was dead!" "Is he any stronger? He was a screw up."

'It can't be…**him**…can it?!'they all thought. They all looked at the person again, and watched as he headed towards the Hokage Tower.

"You don't really think…that it's him, do you?" Ino asked.

"I doubt it. He's been missing for 5 years, and ran away **because** of this village. Why would he want to return?" Shikamaru asked.

"What do you mean he 'ran away because of the village.'?" Chouji asked. "You mean you didn't notice the way the villagers looked at him when he was here?" Shikamaru asked. All of them, except Sasuke and Sakura, shook their heads. He raised an eyebrow at them.

"Well, we were o n the same team. It's only natural that we would go places together." Sakura said.

"The only place we could go without getting those looks was Ichiraku Ramen." Sasuke added.

"Figures, since he was their number one customer." Kiba said, crossing his arms and nodding sagely. Lee opened his mouth to say something, but a loud 'poof' beside him interrupted him. They all blinked as the Hokage's assistant appeared.

"The Hokage would like to see you two immediately." She said, looking at Sasuke and Sakura. They nodded and got up, paying their part of the bill before running off.

8

End


	3. New' Team

Back

Zabani-chan

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I do own this story and any characters I make up. **

Chapter 2: 'New' Team

Tsunade watched as Naruto made himself comfortable in a chair in a corner. She couldn't figure out what he thinking, or where he was looking. The damn cloak covered almost of his face, but she could see the small smirk on his lips and the tip of his nose, and what appeared to be a huge scroll on his back. She couldn't really tell seeing as it was under the cloak, as well.

"Can I help you with something, Tsunade-baa-chan?"

She blinked at the sarcastic tone before glaring.

"Don't call me that! I'm the Hokage, show some respect! I could easily pummel you into the ground!" she shouted. He snorted.

"I highly doubt that."

"And why is that?" she asked, curious.

"Simple. Because I'm stronger than all three legendary sannin." He said, smirking. Her eyes widened.

"In just five years?! How?!?" she demanded. His smirk merely widened.

"By the way, why are you putting me with my old team again? They probably won't be as strong as me. They'll just slow me down." he said. Tsunade glared.

"I'll have you know, they are the best in the village. They can carry out almost every mission I give them, be it a D rank or an A rank." She said. He shrugged.

"So what?"

"…Anyway...may I ask you some questions?" she asked.

"Shoot."

"Where were you these past five years?" she asked. He was quiet for a moment.

"Anywhere and everywhere."

"How did you get so strong in that time?"

"Learning the jutsu's from this scroll." He said, pointing a thumb at the scroll on his back. Her eyes narrowed.

"Which scroll is that? How did you come across it?"

"This is the Scroll of Sealing. I was tricked into stealing it before I left, and when I left, I took it with me." He said.

"Why did you leave?"

"Because I learned that the Kyuubi was within me. And once I thought about it, I realized that I had no one that understood me, and that everyone who **was** dear to me was being held back because of me. And I realized that no one cared for me, and everyone hated me and wished I was dead. I had no family to support me, no friends to talk to, and no home to return to. So I left. Simple as that." He said nonchalantly, though his smirk remained.

"When they arrive, and I tell them all this, will you take the hood off?" she asked. He paused to think about it.

"Sure."

She stayed quiet and watched as his smirk faded slightly as he turned his head in the direction of the door.

"You have company." He said, ignoring her question. She glared for a second.

"Come in." she said. The door opened to reveal Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura. Their eyes immediately caught sight of the cloaked figure in the chair, who stood and bowed, though they could tell it was mocking.

'It's the guy from earlier.' Sasuke thought, eyes narrowing.

'What do we have to do with him?' Sakura wondered.

"hm." 'Who is this? I don't feel any chakra signature.' Kakashi thought.

'These guys don't look that tough…yet she says they're the best team in the village.' His eyes narrowed, 'I don't like the look of them.'

Tsunade cleared her throat to get their attention. They looked at her.

"Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura…meet the newest member of Team 7." She said. Their eyes widened.

"You don't mind if I scare them, do you, **Tsunade-baa-chan**?" Naruto asked, smirking while he spoke to show off his fang-like canines. She glanced at him.

"Hold on. I need to tell them about you first."

"Fine." He grumbled.

"Oh, and in case you're wondering why I'm not over-reacting to the sarcasm, it's because he's stronger than all three sannin."

"What?!" they exclaimed.

"He will reveal himself shortly, as agreed. He is still a genin, despite his strength and skill, because he has not been here to participate in the exams. He has no family, no friends, and no home. So treat him with respect, and he'll do the same." She sighed, and raised a hand in his direction, "Now you may scare them."

"Good." He said. They turned to looked at him, eyes narrowed is suspicion as what he meant by 'scaring' them. As soon as they looked him in the eye, they wished they had never even turned around. Staring at them were two glowing red eyes, hidden in shadows cast by the hood of his cloak, a wide, fanged smirk and dark whisker marks made apparent by the light.

"Take off your hood." Tsunade said. He nodded and reached up, grabbing the hood and sliding it off. Bright blond hair stood on end, no headband holding his bangs out his face, bright blue eyes stared at them, hate, loathing, and amusement shining in their depths. His mouth was still quirked in the wide smirk as he looked at them from the side.

"Hey guys." He turned to them fully, blue eyes turning red, thin whisker marks becoming darker and thicker, "Long time no see."

"Naruto?!" Sasuke gasped.

"..oh my god.."Sakura covered her mouth with her hands, tears filling her eyes.

"Wha…? How?!" Kakashi stuttered. Naruto continued to smirk.

"Looks like the gang is back together again." Naruto said, the smirk fading slightly. He turned to Tsunade.

"I don't think I scared them quiet enough yet." He said. She sighed.

"You've scared them enough. Their speechless."

"Only because their shocked to see me again." He said, crossing his arms and frowning.

"Damn right we're shocked your back! We thought you were never coming back!" Sasuke yelled. Naruto looked at him over his shoulder.

"I wasn't planning on it. Exactly. I just need a place to stay for a while, and I need some money. So if join back up with you guys until your jonin, I can save up any money I earn on the missions we take and leave for good." He said, frowning and eyes narrowing. Somehow, seeing that the look on Naruto's face looked so natural, scared them even more than they already were. Tsunade, who was getting irritated by the tense silence, cleared her throat again.

"What's wrong, baa-chan? Nervous?" Naruto asked, smirking again. She blinked.

"How do you…"

He pointed at his nose.

"Enhance senses. I have kitsune senses. My hearing, sight, and smell are **way** above average." He explained. She nodded.

"Anyway…why don't you take the entire cloak off. I'd like to make sure you aren't wearing anything dangerous."

"Besides the scroll?" he asked as he undid the cloak and let it drop.

"Besides the scroll." She said. As the cloak dropped to the ground, they took in how he looked. He had gotten taller, almost as tall as Jiraiya. His hair was longer, but shorter than the Yondaime's. He wore a black t-shirt underneath an orange jacket that looked like the one he used to wear, just without the sleeves and it was left unzipped, orange pants that looked like the kind jonin wore, shin-high boots with bandages wrapped from the top of the boot to a couple of inches higher, gray elbow length fingerless gloves (like Kabuto's), a shuriken and kunai holster on his right thigh, small knives on his boots, and a giant scroll on his back.

Kakashi's eyes widened considerably as he recognized the scroll. Naruto saw this.

"See something interesting, sensei?" he asked. Kakashi looked at him.

"How did you get your hands on the Scroll of Sealing? It was under high protection!" he asked.

"Oh? This? I took it with me when I left five years ago." Naruto said, sounding bored. Kakashi faulted.

"Who did you get past all those ANBU?!" he demanded.

"With my Sexy Jutsu. Jeez, you should stop using such perverts to guard things like this." Naruto said smugly.

"What's the Scroll of Sealing?" Sakura asked.

"It's a forbidden scroll that was sealed by the First Hokage. It has techniques that could you just trying to learn them." Kakashi said.

"And I've learned them all." Naruto said. They stared at him.

"Okay, you all get to know each other else where. I have work to catch up on." Tsunade said, showing them away. They nodded and left, Naruto picking up his cloak on the way out. They followed him out of the Tower, and stopped as he looked up.

"Hm…there's someone coming." He mumbled, more to himself than them. They glanced around, and watched as he turned to look to their left. They turned, too, and saw Iruka running towards them, arms full of scrolls. He stopped as he saw them, and his eyes widened as he spotted Naruto. His arms seemed to go limp as the scrolls fell to the ground. He stared for a couple more minutes before bolting forwards to grab Naruto in a hug.

"I can't believe your back, Naruto!" he said, squeezing the blonde tightly.

"Yeah, neither can I." he said. Iruka pulled back slightly to look him over.

"You've gotten so tall! And I bet you're even stronger than before! And what do you mean by that?" he asked quickly.

"Yes, I've gotten taller, I am 17. And I'm a lot stronger than before, and what I mean is that I won't staying that long. I'm only staying until I reach the jonin rank." Naruto explained. They watched as Iruka seemed to revert back to his quiet, somber self.

"Oh…I see…" he mumbled. He turned to pick up the scrolls, and with that completed, he bowed to them before entering the building.

'Well…that could've gone better…' he muttered.

'**What did you expect? That man saw you as his son, and you brush him like that. That's bound to do some damage.**' Kyuubi said.

'Oh shut up.' Naruto grumbled.

'**Will do…but only if you promise to apologize to that poor man. He's been suffering because you were gone so much…It's only right that you treat him good. He's suffered enough.**'

'Fine…I will.' He swore he could Kyuubi smirking in the back of his mind. He shook it off, and looked at his team.

"You know, just to be clear, I don't like any of you." He said bluntly. They stared at him wide eyes for a moment.

"And why not? We haven't done anything to you." Sasuke said. Naruto looked at him.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" he asked. Sasuke stayed silent.

"I didn't think so. Oh, and I want to know what skills you have now. I haven't seen you guys in almost over 5 years, so I don't really know what you've learned in that time." He said.

"And whose fault is that?" Sasuke asked, crossing his arms.

"The villagers." Naruto answered reflexively, then silently cursed himself and mentally beat himself up as Kyuubi snickered.

'N**ow look what you've done! You'll have to go against what you swore to yourself and tell them the truth! Hahahahahaha!**" Kyuubi continued laughing as Naruto pointedly ignored him.

"Well….I've been trained by Tsunade, so I have her insane strength and medical knowledge and skill." Sakura said.

"Kakashi's been training me. I've learned a few good techniques off him that are pretty strong." Sasuke said. Kakashi stayed quiet, figuring that he didn't need to answer. Naruto nodded, and looked at Kakashi.

"You learn anything new?" he asked. Kakashi stared at him blankly.

"I'll take that as a no."

"Why do I get the feeling that you've taken charge of this team?" Kakashi asked.

"Because I kinda have, sensei. I'm more powerful that any of you, I know things you probably don't know, I've seen things you can only dream about. I've gone through hell and back these past five years, so I've gained the experience needed to lead a team. I've had practice, too, seeing as I did have my own little team of misfits out there. In fact, if I think about it, they're probably pissed that I didn't bring them with me and are now planning ways on getting me back." Naruto said thoughtfully, as if this wasn't something important. Kakashi glared.

"How can you say that so lightly? If they are, then you're saying that any minute of any day, nins of unknown strength could be barging in here and tearing the place apart to try and find you!" he berated. Naruto shrugged.

"Eh…they're harmless. They won't attack unless you attack first." He said, turning around, "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go find myself something to eat. I haven't eaten in over three days and I'm starving."

Sakura looked at Sasuke, and he nodded.

"Then why not come with us and catch up with everyone else? They should still be at that restaurant from earlier." Sasuke said. Naruto paused, shrugged, and continued on. They took that as a yes. They bowed to Kakashi, who waved them off before walking back inside, no doubt to talk to Iruka. They ran after Naruto, and walked behind him as he headed for the restaurant. Naruto watched as they talked about random stuff and felt slightly envious.

'**Something wrong, kit? You're starting to give killing intent.**' Kyuubi warned. Naruto blinked, and as he glanced at the two beside out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that they were looking around curiously, trying to figure out where the intent was coming from.

'Sorry. Watching them behave like this is making me realize all the things I missed out on because I found out your were inside me.' He thought. Kyuubi snorted.

'**Well, sorry. It's not like it was choice to be sealed inside of you.**'

'Yeah, I know. Sorry about that. I like having you inside of me, though. Gives me someone to talk to and help me get through tough times.'

'**That's so sweet, kit. I'm ****gonna**** cry.**' Kyuubi mocked. Naruto inwardly smiled.

'Oh shut up.' He chuckled.

He looked up as he noticed the table outside full of teens. Everyone around them grew quiet, just as everyone on the way here did. They looked around to see the cause of it all, and spotted him. Their eyes widened and they all stood up quickly, except for Shikamaru, who was asleep before Ino wacked him upside the back of his head, causing him to bang his forehead into the table. He groaned and rubbed his forehead, and looked at him before waving, slightly agitated. Naruto had to chuckle. Same old Shikamaru.

As he stepped over the gate dividing the dining area from the main road, he was immediately hugged, cried on, and questioned. He noticed that Hinata had never taken her eyes off him, and he felt unnerved.

'**Something wrong, kit?**' Kyuubi asked slyly.

'You know something. Spit it out.' Naruto growled. Kyuubi chuckled.

'**I know something, alright. But I'll let you figure it out. And if you haven't by the time we leave for good, I'll tell you.**' He said. Naruto inwardly sighed in defeat.

'Fine.'

"Where the hell have you been!?" Ino yelled.

"What gives you the right to just up and leave like that?!" Kiba demanded, "You nearly broke Hinata's heart!"

Naruto stared at him in shock, and Neji twitched before glaring darkly at Kiba, who, too busy glaring at Naruto, ignored him.

"I-It's no big deal, Kiba." Hinata said shyly.

"It is too!" Kiba argued.

"This is so troublesome. Too many noises and questions." Shikamaru groaned.

"WHY IS IT THAT I FEEL NO CHARA COMING FROM YOU, NARUTO?" Lee asked.

"Yes, why is that, Naruto?" Neji asked.

"Do you have any cool weapons from other countries?" Tenten asked.

"What countries did you visit?" Chouji asked.

"See any new species of insects?" Shino asked.

Naruto laughed, stopping their questions.

"One at a time, please. Let's see if I can answer all of them now." He sat down in a chair and looked around. He pointed at Ino.

"You first."

"Where the hell have you been?"

"Anywhere and everywhere." He said. They faulted. He pointed at Kiba.

"You."

"What gives you the right to just up and leave like that?"

"I had every right to leave this village." He answer vaguely. Kiba growled.

"Enough with the cryptic answers! Tell me straight out!"

Naruto stared at him.

"Fine. I left because everyone in this village was better off with me either gone or dead."

They were quiet as he looked around the table. He pointed at Lee and Neji.

"WHY IS IT THAT I FEEL NO CHARA COMING FROM YOU, NARUTO?"

"Yes, why is that, Naruto?"

"The reason is because I'm suppressing it. I have so much chakra that if I let it just leak out, than whoever is after me will find me in a heartbeat."

"Who would be after you?" Hinata asked. He looked at her, causing her to blush.

"Anyone who either fears me or hates me." He said, "alright, Tenten."

"Do you have any cool weapons from other countries?"

He chuckled, and pulled out a funny looking kunai and shuriken before handing them to her.

"You can keep them."

"How do they work?" she asked, awed by the weapons.

"If you put enough chakra in them, then they'll expand or shrink. Depends on what you need to use them for. The kunai, if you shrink it to about the size of a key, will unlock anything." Naruto said.

"Wow…" Tenten said.

"Alright, Shino. Your turn."

"Did you see any new species of insects?"

"Um... I'm not really sure. I'm not really familiar with different types of bugs." Naruto said. Shino nodded.

"Well, I came here to eat, so...WAITRESS!" he shouted, raising his hand.

8

End


	4. IMPORTANT author note

This is not a chapter. I am letting everyone know that my Microsoft Word is up and running again, so I will be typing up all my chapters that I have been working on and, hopefully, they should be updated within the next week or two.

The following are the stories that will be updated soon:

ANBU Brother

Unbreakable

Gang Wars and Blossoming Love

Back

E.A.U. (this is what the title should look like, but for some reason, it looks like EAU)

Hide and Seek

Shrunk

Vampire Legend

On another note, I would like everyone to know that sometime during the last week of May, I will be leaving for Las Vegas with my dad, brother, aunt, possibly a friend, and a few of my dads bowling friends for about a week and a half. Not exactly sure when I am coming back, but I do know that I will be back sometime during the first week of June.


End file.
